Tone-modifying device.



W. H. COOK.

TOHE MODIFYING DEVICE.

nrmcnmn rILnnnY 2a, 1912.

Patented May 20, 1913.

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WILLIAM H. COOK, OF WEBSTER CITY, IOWA.

TONE-MODIFYING: DEV ICE'.

- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 20, 1913.

Application filed Kay 28, 1912. Serial No. 709,498.

To all whom it may concern:

Be-it known that I, WILLIAM H. Coon, a citizen of the United States, residin at Webster City, in the county of Hamilton and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Tone-Modifying Device, of which the following is a specification.

' a The object of my invention is to provide a stylus supporting lever to be connected with a diaphra prevent or modi the harsh grating metal- -lic sounds ordinarily produced in phonographs on account .of the use of wholly metallic material between the stylus and the diaphragm.

More specifically it is my objectto provide a stylus supporting device for transmitting vibrations to the diaphragm in which the stylus may be readily and easilyremoved or replaced and in which the tension or the amount of frictional engagement between the wooden and metallic mem-' bers of thestylus arm may be adjusted to suit the requirements and to produce the bestresults in modifying the tone of the instrument.

-My invention consists in the construction,

arrangement and combination of the parts of the stylus arm, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a sideelevation of a part of a phonographic reproducer and a stylus arm embodying my invention applied thereto. A. part of the casing is broken away to show the connection between the stylus arm and the diaphragm. Fig. 2 shows a transverse, sectional view of the lower part of the stylus arm, and Fig. 3 shows an enlarged, detail, longitudinal, sectional view of the lower part of the stylus arm.

Referring to the accompanying drawin I have used the reference numeral 10 to in 1- cate the frame of the reproducer having therein a diaphragm 11 of ordinary con-.

, struction. At the bottom of the casing 10 is a bracket 12 in which is pivotally supported a metallic reproduoer arm 13 of ord na construction, which arm is connected at its upper end to the center of the diaand so arranged as to,

phragm 11. The' lower end. of the arm 13 is provided with a screw threaded extension 14 for purposes hereinafter made clear.

My improved stylus arm is formedof two parts, one part. being a metallic member 13 and the other being a wooden member which comprises a body; ortion 15, an arched extension 16 and an upper end portion 17, the

latter being desig'iled to engage the arm-13- near the point wghere it is'attached to the diaphragm. Th body' portion 15 is preferably arranged ,b elow the end of the metallic member 1"-'ind is provided with a bolt 18 extended transversely through it and said bolt.has onone end a loop 19 and its other end is screwthreaded at 20 to receive a winged nut 21, The wooden body portion 15 is provided with a recessat 22 into which the loop 19' maybe extended. It. is-

also provided at'a point. adjacent to the recess 22 with a longitudinally a ed depression 23. The stylus proper is in icated by thenumeral 24 and is of the ordinary construction. It ma be connected with'the body portion 15 by inserting it through the loop 19 and intothe groove 23 and when thus inserted the winged nut 21 may be tightened to holdthe 'stylus firmly against the wooden bod portion 15 and in the groove 23. To diitach the st lus it is only necessary to loosen; the winged nut and push the'bolt 18 so that the loop 19 moves away from the recess 22, whereupon'the stylus the undulations of a phono aphic record,

the vibrations will be transmitted first from the metal stylus to the large wooden body portion 15.

member 16 and 17 These vibrations will then be transmitted through both the metallic memonly with the wooden member of-the arm,

andthat by having aniarm composed of a metallic'member and a Wooden member held in engagement both at the. lower-ends and upper ends thereof, the. tone of the instrumentis'modified and the harsh' ating and metallic sounds ordinarily prod: a wholly metallic-stylus arm is em loyed are eliminated or modified to a considtrable extent. A

I am aware that heretofore stylus arms have been made wholly of metal and that stylus arms have been made wholly of wood, and also that stylus arms made of metal have been provided with some'sort of a cush ioning device between the metallic arm and the stylus. "Noneof these devices will successfully" accomplish the purposes for which my invention is intended. In cases where a metal stylus arm is employed and a cushion of a material such, for'instance, as rubber, is placed between the stylus and the stylus arm, then the tone is'modified but many'of the lesser vibrations are eliminated entirely and all ofthe vibrations "are weakened'so that the sounds reproduced by the instrument are relatively'weak'and are not clear.

In cases where the entire stylus arm is made of wood, I have discovered that the vibrations will not be transmitted so faithfully as with a metallic arm. Hence the tone, while eliminating the' harsh and metal he sounds, does not reproduce allof the sound vibrations in a clear and satisfactory manner. By means of myimprovementthe metallic member of the'arm tends -tofaithfully reproduce the sound vibrations in a clear and loud manner while the wooden member being held in firm contact with the. metal member near the diaphragm tends to eliminate or modify the harsh metallic sounds that are ordinarily produced by the use of a Wholly metallic arm.

I have obtained the best results and believe itto be advantageous to make a wooden member having a large body portion at its lower end to which the stylus is attached and which is relatively inflexible.

I have also found it advantageous to provide in the wooden member an arched portion spaced apart. from the adjacent part of the metal arm member but held in contact loud and clear manner and without the" harsh, ,metallic and grating sounds usually occurring in instruments of this kind- The stylus arm, 'as illustrated and deced when 'with the metallic member on both sides of its pivotal su port, and astyluscarried by scribed, is composed of a metallic and fi non metallic member." For ,the ii'0nnajetallic member I Preferably employwoodof a kind havinga comparatively close grain such, fofinstance, walnut. I however have emf.- loyed and paper fibers ofvarious liindsand have demonstrated {that various non-metallic substances improved the tone of the instrument, although I have obtained the best results. by the use of close grained wood as the non-metallic member.

I'do not desire to be understood as limiting my invention to the em loyment of wood as the non-metallic mem er of the stylus arm.

I claim asmy invention: 1; In a tone'modifying device for phonographs, the combinationof a pivotally supported metallic stylus arm member, a nonmetallic stylus =arm member in engagement the non-meta ic member.

2. In a tone modifying device for phonographs, the combination of a pivotally supportedstylus arminember, a non-metallic stylus arm member spaced a art from the metallic-member at its pivota point and in engagement with the metallic member at opposite sides of said pivotal-point, and a stylus carried by the non-metallic member.

3. In a tone modifying device for phono "graphs, the combination of a pivotally sup-' ported stylus armmember, a non-metallic stylus arm member spaced apart from the metallic member at its pivotal point and in engagement with the metallic member at op- .posite-sides-of said pivotal point, a stylus carried by the non-metallic member,: and. means for adjustably holding the non-metallic member in engagement with the me tallic member. s

4. In a device of the class described, thecombination'of a diaphragm, a stylus arm comprising a metallic member connected to the diaphragm, means, for pivotally supporting the metallic member, a non-metallic member comprisinga relatively large body portion, means connected thereto for supporting a stylus, said'non-metallic member also comprising an arched portion extending past the pivotal support of the metallic member and engaging thev metallic member adjacent to the diaphragm, and means for holding the non-metallic member firmlyin engagement-with the metallic member on bothsides of the pivotal center of the metallic member.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a diaphragm, a stylus arm comprising a metallic member connected to the'diaphragm, means for pivotally supporting the metallic member, a non-metallic member comprising a relatively large body portion, means connected thereto for supporting a stylus, said non-metallic member her on both sides of the pivotal center of the also comprising an arched portion extending metallic member. past the pivotal support of the metallic Des Moines, Iowa, January 12, 1912.

member and engagin .the metallic member W. H. COOK. adjacent to the diap ragm, and adjustable Witnesses: means for holding the non-metallic member \V. B. R001),

firmlyin engagement with the metallic mem- J. A. BQEYE. 

